Virtual: Berwick Spotlight Series

Michael Buensuceso, Director of Cultural Competency at Berwick Academy, will host a fireside conversation with his guest, Seacoast-based actor, playwright, and activist Najee Brown.
Together they will touch upon topics such as:
  • The national Black Lives Matter movement and its impact on the Seacoast
  • Reflections: Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) on the Seacoast
  • Using theater, music, and the arts to expand conversations around equity
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for our speakers ahead of the talk. There will also be some time for Q&A after the presentation.
Speaker Bios:
NAJEE BROWN
Actor, Playwright & Activist
Najee Brown, an actor, playwright and activist, who relocated to the Seacoast from Brooklyn, N.Y., oversees The Sol Series at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, which focuses on presenting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) narratives. He can be described as nothing other than a young entrepreneur. His media company, Mindlezz Thoughtz, started in 2011, has helped provide numerous proper resources to aspiring artists. In addition to running his own media and arts company, Najee Brown also produces his own music, and wrote his own play The Bus Stop, recently featured at the Seacoast Rep. He directs and has danced on every stage from the Apollo to Carnegie Hall.
 
MICHAEL BUENSUCESO
Director of Cultural Competency at Berwick Academy
Prior to joining Berwick Academy in 2015, Buensuceso served as the director of diversity at the Trinity School in New York City since 2010. An experienced facilitator and trainer, he is one of the founding faculty of the Educators’ Institute, a joint effort between the American Conference on Diversity and the Peter Sammartino School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He served as Vice President of Programs for the American Conference on Diversity, responsible for the development of strategic program initiatives, the development and implementation of adult and youth programs, and research statewide.
Buensuceso earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island and a M.S.W. from Columbia University. He and his wife Kathy relocated to the Seacoast with their two children in 2015.
 
Who should attend:
Anyone interested in a dialog about diversity, equity, and inclusion on a national and local scale. The conversation will be welcoming to those who have lots of experience with these conversations and to those new to them.
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Berwick Academy

Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 550 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Post-Graduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.